Mithral bucklers: A Bard's/Rogue's/Sorcerer's/Wizard's best friend...

[Jack Haggerty]

To cast from the buckler hand, you would have to shift from using it as defensive (sheild) to offensive (casting). So you would have to give ac up, you could reinstate AC next roudn though.

I expected that, but I was thinking of the, "An off-hand weapon can be used, but a -1 penalty on attack rolls is imposed because of the extra weight on your arm," when using a buckler...

Should there be a similar penalty to casting with that hand?... Not that I really want one.

 

[Valicor]

I'm starting to imagine an elite band of elven Bladesinger/Arcane Archers armed with longswords, longbows and mithral bucklers.

Hoo Haw!

Actually thats something I was wondering about, and wanted to ask for awhile. Say you have quick draw, and using a longsword you also take ambi-dexterity and two-weapon fightining, could you switch to your off-hand and continue to attack? I know it says for all those bladsinger abilities you can only have a longsword in your hand nothing else in the other hand to use the abilities (so you still wouldn't be able to use that sheild ), bt coudl you do your base 4 attacks + your blade singer attack, then switch to off hand, with quickdraw using same lognsword in off hand, and continue attacking, then switch back to main hand, for haste?

 

[Valicor]

I expected that, but I was thinking of the, "An off-hand weapon can be used, but a -1 penalty on attack rolls is imposed because of the extra weight on your arm," when using a buckler...

Should there be a similar penalty to casting with that hand?... Not that I really want one.

I'm pretty sure you don't take a negative to casting, you just loose the ac bonus, till yoru next turn. If you were hasted though, you could use the haste action to up the shield again isntead of a second spell.

 

[Caliban]

Has anybody else thought of this?

Yep.

Using some mithral we found during an adventure, my Halfling Rogue/Abjurer had a Mithral Buckler +1 made for himself.

That's nice for him.

Now, the nice thing about a mithral buckler (or a mithral small shield, though I'd rather have the use of the off-hand, than the ability to bash with a shield), is that it has no arcane spell failure, no armor check penalty and no max dex penalty.

And does not stack with Mage Armor or Bracers of Armor

Anyone, even arcane spellcasters, or those who are not proficient in shield use can use one without penalty. Not to mention that mithral items are automatically considered Masterwork, and therefore can easily be enchanted.

Yeah, they are pretty nice, if you don't use Bracers of Armor or the mage armor spell.

Aside from the rarity of mithral, and the inherent cost of building with it, are there any downsides I'm missing here?

The fact that a mithril buckler +3 won't stack with mage armor. Using one of them gives you +4 armor bonus to your AC, and using both of them still only gives you +4 armor bonus to your AC. The buckler with stack with the armor bonus from worn armor though.

Generally it's not that great for a pure spellcaster, but it's great for rogues/bards, or those rare arcane spellcasters who actually do wear armor.

Even so, I have a wizard who eventually plans on getting a +1 Mithril Buckler of Heavy Fortification. It won't increase his AC any, but will still prevent crits and sneak attacks.

 

[Valicor]

I forgot that Bracers were providing the same bonus type as the +1-+5 magical ratio bonus on a sheild. Thxs for settign that straight.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

The bracers of armor will not stack with the buckler. Both are armor bonuses. The only armor bonuses that stack with each other are shields and suits of armor.

Are you sure?

I was under the impression that suits of armor/other armor bonuses don't stack, but a single shield armor bonus can stack with any other armor bonus... Catch my meaning?

For example, my halfling rogue wizard currently has an AC of 18... +1 size, +4 Dex, +1 ring of Prot. (deflection), +2 Mithral buckler +1. Now if he casts Mage Armor, that +4 should stack normally with the magic buckler, no? Plus he could cast Shield, and have that stack, since that provides cover, instead of a straight out AC bonus.

Heh... Totally buffed up, that would be an AC of 29! Yowza!

 

[Valicor]

Anyone got a answer for my quickdraw question?

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Re: Re: Mithral bucklers: A Bard's/Rogue's/Sorcerer's/Wizard's best friend...

And does not stack with Mage Armor or Bracers of Armor

Why not?

The bonuses for magic armor and shields are labeled as "Enhancement bonuses", not "Armor bonuses".

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Re: Re: Re: Mithral bucklers: A Bard's/Rogue's/Sorcerer's/Wizard's best friend...

Blah... double post.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Are you sure?

I was under the impression that suits of armor/other armor bonuses don't stack, but a single shield armor bonus can stack with any other armor bonus... Catch my meaning?

I am sure. Armor bonuses do not stack. The exception is shields with suits of armor. Check out the PH, page 104, top of the page under Armor Bonus.

For example, my halfling rogue wizard currently has an AC of 18... +1 size, +4 Dex, +1 ring of Prot. (deflection), +2 Mithral buckler +1. Now if he casts Mage Armor, that +4 should stack normally with the magic buckler, no? Plus he could cast Shield, and have that stack, since that provides cover, instead of a straight out AC bonus.

Your halflings new AC with mage armor is 20. The mage armor spell will not stack with the buckler. The shield spell will stack with all those things, however, bringing your total AC to 27, at least for one side of the battlefield.